Adeela Suleman's Secrets from the Kitchen

CASE 1
2008
Steel drain covers, steel tongs, nuts and bolts, steel measuring spoons, steel frying spoon
34 x 14 x 11 in.

The central theme of the work of Pakistani artist Adeela Suleman is the problem of form. Form can be ambiguous, contain innumerable meanings or be nothing more than self-referential. In other cases form can remind us of previously encountered forms or stimulate our imagination. Above all, form is crucial to stories that dare call into question the conventional language of art. Adeela Suleman's work also underscores the importance of "finding" an object through the artistic process. The "found" object immediately assumes the role of protagonist in the mental and aesthetic space of the creation; the "found" object multiplies itself, generating artistic value through its cloning process. The daily object, through its multiplication and assembly, becomes the delegate of new, exciting inner visions. 

(sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

'drained' (2011)

'drained' (2011) detail

'drained' (2011)

ASSEMBLED BONDAGE
2008
Steel drain covers, steel tongs, nuts and bolts
65 x 44 x 27 in.

'remains' (2008)

It is difficult to deny that the work of Adeela Suleman is about male and female experiences, but, I believe that her work still goes well beyond the boundaries of gender. These sculpture pieces, single or combined, are derived from the fittings in the houses, especially from kitchens, which is the place in the house which has been traditionally linked to female role through the ages. As she assembles her work from drain covers, frying spoons, measuring spoons, kettles, and other such objects, the form she achieves suggest sometimes parts of the body, or extensions to the body. However there are still the remains of the mechanical and industrial products - nuts, bolts - brought from the outdoors when the division between female and male world is abrupt.

CASE 5
2008
Steel drain covers, steel tongs, nuts and bolts, steel measuring spoons, steel frying spoon
26 x 17 x 14 in.

Adeela Suleman
CASE 2
2008
Steel drain covers, steel tongs, nuts and bolts, steel measuring spoons, steel frying spoon
18 x 18 x 21 in.

'capsule' (2008)

STAINLESS STEEL HELMET WITH KETTLE
2008
Stainless steel, metal, fabric and padding
17 x 14 x 12 in.

WHITE HELMET WITH GREEN FLAGS
2008
Steel cooking utensil, steel spoon, cycle ornament, powder coated and enamel painted. Inside: padded with foam and cloth
18 x 13 x 15 in.